I am a big calligraphy medallion fan. I love how calligraphy medallions offer a creative way to practice calligraphy without actually writing, “A, A, A, B, B, B” ad nauseam! There’s also the coolness factor: calligraphy medallions look awesome on the backs of envelopes, as part of invitation designs, or in sketchbooks. Today, I’m going to show you how to make a springtime-themed medallion … just in time to celebrate the beginning of spring, which was March 20th!Continue reading…

In 2012, I officially became a calligraphy beginner. Filled with the unique type of excitement that results from a Pinterest binge, I lit off to a big box store, and I bought a random calligraphy kit and some ink. Like most calligraphy beginners, I expected to pick up a pen and immediately be able to create cool things! When I got home, though, I tried writing on some printer paper. Surprise! My “calligraphy” looked terrible.Continue reading…

A couple of months ago, I resolved to be more active on YouTube. Calligraphy is such a visual thing, after all, and I love to watch it come to life via video! My favorite types of videos to make are “musical calligraphy” videos. Basically, I find a classical piece of music and create calligraphy to it. These types of videos are helpful for two reasons. First, you get an idea of what a realistic writing pace looks like! Second, any calligraphy video can help you glean visual tips. For example, you might feel inspired to re-evaluate your grip or try out some flourishes! Today, I’m writing to Bizet’s “Habanera”, which is an aria from the opera Carmen.Continue reading…

I first released this simple brush pen worksheet in 2015. Little did I know that it would become one of the most popular printables on TPK! With 131,500 downloads and counting, many a brush pen enthusiast has worked through the exercises in this worksheet. Today, I want to talk about what you can learn from filling out the Free Brush Pen worksheet, as well as other brush pen resources that you can take advantage of on the TPK site!Continue reading…

In 2014, I wrote the Typography Art Envelope Tutorial. The tutorial shows you how to make an incredibly cool piece of mail art with vintage flair! The envelope was inspired by antique advertisements, which were always hand-drawn and a bit more cluttered than the clean look we’ve become accustomed to in modern times.Continue reading…

I started offering calligraphy workshops in 2015. As someone who isn’t a natural-born public speaker (even if it’s a tiny group of 12), I didn’t expect to like teaching! I quickly found, however, that workshops are just another platform by which to connect with creative people and get to “geek out” over a shared passion: calligraphy. This year, I’m pleased to offer six beginner’s modern calligraphy workshops on various dates sprinkled throughout the spring and summer!Continue reading…

For the past week, the focus of this blog has been on Lasso Lettering, which you can create with any pen. Today, I’d like to shift attention back to the dip pen! While any writing utensil is worth the time to get to know, I especially love the dip pen because of its stroke variation. A dip pen can seamlessly transition from making delicate, thin strokes into bold, heavy strokes — which leads to some serious visual appeal!Continue reading…

Sometimes, I think that hand-lettering is a little more approachable than calligraphy. Like calligraphy, hand-lettering celebrates the art of letters — but often with more familiar materials! That’s not to say that hand-lettering is easy; just that you can usually make it with any pen or pencil. Furthermore, if you can write in everyday life, you can hand-letter! You’ll just spend a little more time and concentration on each letter to do so.Continue reading…

For me, “What’s the difference between cursive and calligraphy?” is one of those questions that I hear and I think I have a ready answer for. Then, the more I consider it, the more complicated the answer gets. I suppose that cursive can be calligraphy, and calligraphy can be cursive, which makes the differences between the two more interesting. I made a (very short) YouTube video for today’s post, but if you prefer text and photos, feel free to scroll past the video!Continue reading…

It’s February in the mountains, which means a lot of snow here in Boulder! Hernán recently gave in to the Echo Dot craze (you know, that little “Alexa” device), and, while I was dubious about Alexa at first, I have to admit that she can play a mean winter soundtrack. We’ve been listening to a lot of classical music while big, soft flakes swirl around outside. Pachelbel’s Canon came on the other day, which put it on my radar. It has always been one of my favorites — and I’m sure you love it, too! If you don’t know it by name, I promise that you’ll recognize the melody in today’s YouTube video.Continue reading…

Welcome to The Postman’s Knock

I'm Lindsey Bugbee

designer + illustrator + calligrapher

The Postman's Knock is a blog focused on teaching creative techniques and offering guides to learning modern calligraphy and illustration. I hope you enjoy reading my blog as much as I enjoy writing it!